November 10, 2016

Urgent need for a ‘follow-up culture’

Sometimes, it really is hard to wonder whether the workers and top echelon of the Kuala Lumpur City Council (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur or DBKL) can think and do things properly.

The early part of this year saw the council’s fairly disastrous attempt to rebrand itself, which resulted in a logo and brand identity that was roundly derided as unprofessional and simplistic, and certainly not worth even 10% of the alleged cost of RM15,000.

Even more recently, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz was quoted as saying that approximately 170 developers who have obtained development orders (DO) for their projects from the DBKL risked losing their deposits – because apparently, more than 80% of them had yet to start work as at August this year, even though the DOs awarded in September last year.

The mayor claimed that the DBKL would be strict as it did not want developers to end up selling off the projects. But really, can we really hold him to his word on this?

The council is rather infamous for talking a good game, but failing miserably to do anything when push comes to shove. A good example of this is the fact that despite more than five decades of existence, the city is prone to facing floods

It is all symptomatic of a very bad habit that Malaysian authority figures have: that of not following up and following through. Our leaders wax lyrical when it comes to campaigns, but tend without fail to fall far short when it actually comes to delivering on their promises – often using the excuse that they were misquoted or misunderstood.

Another glaring example where no positive action seems to be taking place is in the waters of Sabah, where the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) seems to have virtually zero effect on the number of kidnappings and abductions.

In fact, it has gotten to the point that the Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi raised concerns about it, referring to the November 5 abduction of two Indonesian sailors.

Hilariously, even the government’s own MP’s are puzzled, with Kinabatangan Barisan Nasional MP Datuk Bung Moktar Radin questioning the efficiency of ESSCOM and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that when an infamously sexist and uncouth authority figure makes mention of you, you have some explaining to do.

As if that were not enough, there is now news that the illegal bauxite miners in Pahang are back at it again. Settlers in Felda Bukit Kuantan reportedly blame a lack of enforcement since July, and allege that the authorities had turned a deaf ear to reports they had lodged.

In fact, another settler said that enforcement officers were seen only during the first and second phases of the moratorium, between January and July. “But now the enforcement officers can hardly be seen,” he said. This led to the miners using back roads to haul out bauxite in defiance of a year-long Cabinet moratorium on mining.

Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has said that he is expecting a full report by next week – but as with the DBKL, can we take his word that the culprits will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law?

A study of the reactions of the IGP towards the threats of illegal action and the blatant hostilities by the Red Shirt Gang suggest that the acronym to apply is NATO: No Action, Talk Only.

Malaysians need to really start paying attention to matters, and to start holding their leaders accountable, instead of focusing on minor issues such as hot dogs, music concerts being banned, and whether artistes should pay tax on makeup.

Sadly, it looks like the lack of follow-up culture has seeped deeply into the rakyat. Someone definitely needs to do something about it – and that someone is all of us.